Template reproduction process



Dec. zz, 1942. C. o. PREST 2,3o599o TEMPLATE REPRODUCTION PRQCESS Filed Aug. 1'7,v 1942 HG -ET -/f--. @@"g Q @Q @VQGOOQ l. @0000@ @E230 0:30 j

@QW M /9 INVE/vrop HG -ZV Y l"7G -17 CLARENCE O. P9557' Patented Dec. 22, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,305,990 TEMPLATE REPRODUCTION PROCESS Clarence 0. Prest, Burbank, Calif. Application August 17, 1942, Serial No. 455,047

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for reproducing prints or designs from one surface to another, and is a continuation-in-part of copending application Serial No. 423,997 filed December 22, 1941, which is in turn a continuationin-part of copending application Serial No. 332,077 led April 27, 1940. It is particularly advantageous in producing reproductions of drawings, designs, templates, dies and the like, in connection with the aircraft or ship building industries wherein by reason of the high degree of accuracy that can be attained by the method large, substantially nat, sheets of metal are used as material upon which master layouts are drafted.

There is a great duplication of work in many industries because of the lack of a simple. cheap and accurate method of reproduction of such metal layout drawings. For instance, in the aircraft industry, the design o! a particular part of the aircraft is made by the engineering department who, in turn, transmit such design to the iactory for production. The factory or the engineering department usually draft the part design drawing on the surface of metal sheets to form what is commonly known as the master template layout. This drawing may be made by scribing through a painted surface coating previously applied to the sheet metal by suitable means. In utilizing these master template layouts the factory must necessarily redraft the design usually on similar -metal plates which are subsequently cut in order to form the necessary templates, die, parts and the like means to produce the design on a production basis. Furthermore, several duplicate template copies of each part or tool are usually required and such original design may therefore need to be redrafted a great number of times prior to its actual construction. This redrafting has heretofore been accomplished by hand copying methods similar to that employed for the original layout. Such a method of reproduction is obviously very expensive both from the standpoint of labor and time and also extremely inaccurate due to the possibility of human errors.

The principle object fore, to provide a novel and improved means of reproduction from such master layouts with a minimum of time and labor without sacrificing accuracy.

The invention accordingly resided primarily in a method and/or process and apparatus for making such reproductions cal action or by electro-deposition of material from one metal surface to another.

It is also desirable to obtain paper duplicate of the invention is, there-A by means of electrochemiprints from the metal master layouts for various uses in the engineering work. Heretofore when such paper prints were desired it has been necessary to redraft the drawing upon paper or cloth from which blue prints could be obtained or to resort to photographic methods for copying the metal layout drawing.

- A further object of this invention is accordingly, to provide a means for readily reproducing the drawings upon paper from the metal layout sheets without the necessity of redraftlng, photographing or the like expensive and time consuming operations.

The invention, accordingly, further resides in a method and/ or process and apparatus for making such reproductions directly upon paper, cloth or the like pervious materials from the metal layout sheets. l

It is a further object of the invention to provide a simple and novel press in which the reproduction is made. l

Further objects, advantages and features of novelty of the invention will be made evident hereinafter.

In the drawing which shows diagrammatically and by way of illustration a preferred embodiment of the invention;

Figure I is an elevation, sectional view, showing a simple and preferred form of apparatus wherein the invention may be practiced such apparatus and the elements constituting this invention being shown in a clearly defined manner by exaggerating the drawing vertically.

Figure II is similar to Figure I except that the press is in operation, resulting in the squeezing oi the various elements in close contact with one another prior to and during the reproduction process.

Figure III is a plan view of the apparatus shown in Figure I and Figure II.

Figure IV is a view of a typical design or print laid out on the original surface.

Figure v is the result of the method described in this invention which has been printed from the original surface of Figure IV in conjunction with the apparatus of Figures I, 1I and III.

In the apparatus which I have shown in Figure I and II, I employ two cooperating parts I0 and H of a suitable hydraulic press or the like'A apparatus which are adapted to be moved together under pressure, if necessary, and apart to accomplish results which will be hereinafter described. The member I0 may be considered as a support or table and the member Il may be termed ahead or ram which movesrelative to ing the necessity a fluid-like material I2 and I3, such as rubber, linoleum, composite board, or the like. Although reproduced are inserted between the resilient pads I2 and An electrical connection is made to both surfaces in such a manner that a current is passed between such surfaces. One plate then becomes the cathode and the other the anode. In order to produce as even a current distribution over the surfaces I4 and I5 as is possible, and in order to simplify the electrical problem, I have found it advisable to install oppositely arranged networks I8 and I6 carried on the pads I2 and I3 and preferably constructed of relatively thin strips Vof a high conductivity material such as CII .of the master plate so as turnplate or copper, and to leadthe wiring of each to outside terminal posts I1 and I'I to connect them to the electrical source, thus eliminatof making individual connecof surfaces inserted into the the said net-work tions to each set short-circuits between them in case small surfaces which do not entirely cover the contactor strips of the network are used. Further, it has been found advantageous, and'therefore preferable, to install the posts I1 and I1' on opposite sides o f the apparatus in order to insure an even distribution of current.

' Figure III shows a plan view of the table with the various lements necessary to the invention outlined thereon.

Figure IV shows the original surface I4. in this case being aflat metal'plate which has been previously coated, painted or sprayed with an insulating paint or otherwise provided with an insulating coating such A design,

comprise the preferred marking agents, many other materials may be employed. For example. a solution of a salt of substantially any metal which can be deposited electrically. such as iron. copper, zinc, tin, etc., will deposit a illm of metal when the sheet to be marked is made the cathode. It is advantageous but not essential for the cation of the salt to be of a differently colored metal than the sheet to be marked. Also, substantially any acid or salt, even of a metal which does not electrolytically deposit, can be employed to carry metal from a marking plate to the plate to be marked. By making the plate to be marked the anode, similar solutions can be employed to electrolytically etch this plate, or by using an alkaline solution, the plate to be marked can be subjected to anodic oxidation. In the latter case. alternating current can be employed. Thus, substantially any conducting solution is effective as a marking agent to form a deposit upon or change the appearance of the plate to be marked at portions corresponding to the conducting portions to transfer the design.

Figure V shows the reproduction 22 of the design I9 which has been formed by means of the invention described herein. It will be noted that by means of an electrolytic action, there has been a visual alteration of the surface of the reproduction plate I 5 by etching, oxidation. deposition of metal'from the electrolytic solution or transfer of the material from the original surface I4 to the reproduction plate I5.

I have found by my experiments and research that it is possible to insert between the original surface I4, and the reproduction surface Il, a sheet of flexible pervious material 23, auch a8 paper, cloth or the like, without substantially affecting the process. In this manner a print is made on the flexible material 23 as well as on the reproduction plate I5. It is, therefore, possible to not only make a reproduction on the metal surface I5 but it is possible to obtain prints on the flexible material such as paper and the like at the same time and during the same operation. 'I'his is advantageous in many respects, notably that it produces a. record on paper which can be checked prior to further processing the reproduction plate I5. This arrangement is shown in Figure I.

I have 'also found by experiment and research that by means of certain solutions or electrolytic erably ferrous or manganese chloride or sulfate,

is to be made. An electrical current is then applied through the conductors 2| and 2| from a suitable source of current (not shown) to the elements I4 and I5 as the anode and cathode respectively, resulting in the formation of the reproduction 22 upon the plate I5.

Practically any metal obtainable in sheet form may be employed in this process for the original and copyplates. Either one or both of the meteither plain or zinc .or lead coated sheet steel or sheet iron, or they may be aluminum, aluminum alloy and the like metals. W'hile aqueous solutions of the ferrous or manganese chlorides or sulfates mentioned above fluids in association with the apparatus and incheap and accurate manner. plished by dipping the paper in tion, preferably of iron and ammonium citrates. due to the cheapness of these substances, or a similar fluid, subjecting it to the electrolytic process of this invention, and then developing in a solution of potassium ferrie cyanide. Transfer of material is not necessary in this case. Upon completion, the paper is taken out of the press, dried. This process enables one to from the surface of the metal plate. Furthermore, it enables one to obtain a of prints in one operation, if desired.

The processes which I have described herein jigs for the various parts' of the ship or airplanes are made from such lofting work. This invention can be applied to such work by means of portable apparatus which can be taken to the lofting board and prints upon metal, paper or cloth made directly therefrom, or, if preferable, the lofting board can be made in sections. the sections taken up and transferred to the reproduction apparatus to be adapted to the process herein described.

It will be apparent that the apparatus and method of the present invention is not limited to the marking or printing on at surfaces but that a properly formed master marking element can be similarly caused to register with curved or irregular surfaces on the article to be marked and be pressed thereagainst by any suitable means. Also, a marking means ,can be formed I of relatively thin sheet metal andV be caused to conform to the surface of an irregularly shaped article by a press of the type illustrated herein.

It is to be understood that the description and illustration disclosed herein is merely illustrative ci' one form which this invention may take and is not to be limiting; other variations and modications beine,r obviously possible without departins from the scope of the invention and the ap- '25 said surface of said second sheet. pended claim. A (ILAREN I claim:

A method of reproducing drawings upon me sheets. which comprises, forming an adhering iilm of insulating material on a surface of a rst metal sheet, scribing lines of said drawing through the thickness of said insulating nlm to expose areas of the surface of said metal of said sheet through said insulating film to form said drawing, pressing the'uninsulated surface of a second metal sheet into substantially uniform contact with the insulating film on said rst metal sheet, wetting at least one of said surfaces with an electrolyte comprising a water soluble ferrous sulfate prior to contacting the same thereby entrapping said electrolyte in said scribed lines of said insulating illm duringsaid Dressing, and passing an electric current from one of said sheets to the other through said entrapped electrolyte to produce an electrochemical reaction between said electrolyte and the adjacent contacting surfacec! said second metal sheet toA form visible marks thereon corresponding exactly with -said scribed lines of saiddrawirlg ln said 'insulating iilm to reproduce said drawing upon cn oQPREs'r. 

